Building This Puzzle
by ImpossiblyWeird
Summary: To write your future, you need to get over your past. Lisanna needs to make her own adventure after getting out of Edolas, and it's not exactly easy. Hints of Nalu, Gruvia, one-sided Nali.


**A/N: Hello! This is my first fanfic, so I hope you'll like it. The timeline is a little warped, and it really doesn't follow canon so... yeah. The pairings mentioned in this story are Nalu and Gruvia, and a bit of one-sided Nali. If there are any errors, please let me know. Thanks, and enjoy the story!  
**

* * *

Lisanna's not exactly sure what to expect after returning from Edolas. She knows there's going to be at least one party (it is Fairy Tail after all), and she knows Mira-nee and Elf-nii are going to be so surprised. She just doesn't expect Natsu to be with Lucy.

Maybe it's selfish of her to want to be with Natsu, especially after being gone the entire time, but she missed him. No, Lisanna still misses him, she decides. She misses the old Natsu, the one she practically raised Happy with, the one that she fell in love with so long ago, the one that's now gonegonegone. She wants to blame Lucy for taking him away, but she can't. It's not her fault. And, honestly, after meeting Lucy Ashley, Lisanna knows that Natsu isn't meant to be with her. She decides to move on from him, and hey, she might as well be his sister. Mavis knows that Natsu's going to need all the help he can get, and telling Lucy all of those embarrassing childhood stories will be fun. Lisanna gives up on the spark that kept her going, and finds a new motivation from her guild.

(Giving up is so much harder than it sounds. But she tries.)

* * *

Whenever she sees Erza now, Lisanna flinches a little inside. She can't help it – she knows that her Erza will never hurt Fairy Tail, but you can't erase two years of your life even if you want to. No matter what, Lisanna can't forget Erza Knightwalker and it's so hard to face Erza Scarlet because they are essentially one and the same.

Perhaps it's not the wisest choice to avoid her as much as she can, but her heart just won't stop beating at a freakishly fast pace. Somehow, Lisanna's not exactly surprised that Erza finds her and confronts her about it. (She always knew Erza would make a fantastic ninja. Then again, Lisanna doesn't exactly have the best disguise skills, so it was pretty obvious she was avoiding her, wasn't it?)

They talk and talk and talk for hours, and somehow, at the end, all of her guild mates are there giving her their support. It makes everyone a little sick that there was a "Fairy Hunter," but the Magic Council have never been on Fairy Tail's side, so it's sort of similar. Right?

It's nice to know that Fairy Tail hasn't changed much – but Lisanna figures that Fairy Tail is universal, and it's always going to be one giant family. Everyone in the guild spends the rest of the night swapping stories, and suddenly there's yet another impromptu party because hey, aren't the stars looking pretty tonight?

She smiles and raises her glass because she's back home, and everyone's back with her.

* * *

Gray still hasn't resolved his habit of stripping, and Lisanna's staring to believe that it will never go away. Then again, she's somehow still used to it, even though it's been two long years. Gray is still the same guy she remembers; cocky, confident, and very prideful. Yet somehow, he still grew up along the way of life, and he's more mature now. Then again, it might be because he's resolved his problems with his mother and brother, who are as real as can be. He's so different from Gray Surge, largely due to the severe lack of clothes, but this Juvia loves him so much, so all these different worlds must have had a trade somewhere along the line. Lisanna briefly wonders if there's a world that has both Gray and Juvia in love with each other, but then decides that's going to be the future.

After making a few mental notes on how to get those two together, Lisanna focuses her attention on being friends with this Juvia, and she knows she can do it because she's done it before. It's part of her fresh start, and she really does miss her old best friend. Besides, Juvia clearly hasn't had enough bonding experiences with other girls, and hearing of Phantom Lord only cements her belief. A few sleepovers are all it takes to secure their new friendship, and Juvia even receives a bonus amount of confidence. The next morning, Lisanna practically shoves Gray into Juvia and watches a large amount of sparks fly. Well, most of them are coming from Juvia's direction, but they still have a large future ahead of them.

* * *

Lucy is one of the nicest people Lisanna's ever met, and that's after seeing Mira-nee's new personality that somehow happens to be just like her other sister that she left behind. She has so much faith in the guild, and her belief is as powerful as all of the long-time members. Lisanna is fascinated by the fact that her past does not define her, and the life lesson of never judging a book by its cover hits even closer to home than when Levy gave her that one amazing adventure book.

She knows that with someone like this, Natsu will be in good hands. He's always struggled with making decisions based on logic instead of impulse, so being with Lucy might finally teach him a few things. It's just a little unnerving just how much potential Lucy-kick has. Lisanna makes a mental note to never sneak into her apartment, but then again, she's only heard those kinds of horror stories from Natsu and Gray. She should probably consider the fact that no one is stupid or reckless enough to actually hurt the Queen of Fairies, but she knows she'll be okay. Besides, it's always nice to go shopping with her friends, and Lucy seems like she'll appreciate that, and Lisanna's seen her work her "bargaining magic." Well, there was that Heart Kreuz sale this weekend and she really needs more clothes. After all, a girl can never have too many shoes, or just clothing in general.

Lisanna's examining a mission that promises 150000 Jewels for catching a few bandits and resolves to ask Elf-nii if he'd be willing to go with her when she spots Team Natsu. They're about to go on a 3-day mission, and she decides to ask the females if they're interested in some weekend shopping once they return. She inwardly cheers when Erza immediately replies yes, with Lucy quick to follow, and Wendy caving in to the temptation of buying a new skirt. There's no time to arrange the details once Gray and Natsu launch into another argument and the team is suddenly out the door. Lisanna doesn't expect them to hear her goodbye over the sound of Erza's shouting, but it doesn't hurt to try.

"Take care of him."

* * *

Being with her real Mira-nee and Elf-nii feels so surreal, but she can't help but feel guilty for leaving her other siblings, the ones that raised her for two years. Lisanna can't help but describe her family as damaged, and it hurts her to have to. It's nice to see her sister smile, but she can't help but miss her rebellious streak. Her brother has so little self-confidence, and he doubts himself and it makes her feel so bad. She enlists the help of Evergreen to boost his spirits, and it works, for the most part.

Her siblings are protective of her, but then again, it's not a daily occurrence to find out that your sister's been alive for these past two years. Lisanna gets her Fairy Tail guild mark on her thigh like her Mira-nee, and it helps ease the pain of seeing the difference Magnolia has been through. She knows the pain of being left alone, and she will never leave her siblings even if it meant the world. But they'll carry on for now – they have to. It's in the job description for a mage of Fairy Tail. Besides, the words "giving up" are never finding a way into her dictionatry.

Eating dinner with her family again makes her so happy, and Lisanna starts to work as a waitress for Fairy Tail when she's not on a mission, and her dreams start shifting. Her past can't be changed; she knows that better than most anyone else. So instead, she takes charge of her future and makes it into one amazing adventure. She trains with her siblings, and sometimes with Juvia when she isn't busy. She goes along with Mira-nee to her photo shoots, and meets Jenny Realight and Sherry Blendy, her first few friends from outside the guild. Unfortunately, this also means she meets the Trimens , but one part of life is exploring new horizons. By meeting these guys, Lisanna also learns how to be patient and how to block out sounds, which can be pretty important.

So when Lisanna's holding hands with her sister and one of her best friends while trying to give her strength to Freed to defeat Acnologia, she can't help but smile. Sure, she's probably about to die on Tenrou Island, and she wishes her entire family could be here because faith can move mountains, but somehow it's okay. She feels at peace, and Lisanna knows that she's tried her best to do everything she can and she's experienced life and it's fun and all, but she wishes she could make even more memories. She closes her eyes and prays that hopefully, the guild will still live because there's still so much of her family back in Magnolia. She thinks of everything that's happened to her, good and bad, and finds that she doesn't regret anything.

Seven years later, Lisanna opens her eyes.


End file.
